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Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

tri_fin
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p.5 #1 · p.5 #1 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Received my black type 2 today.

I’m no lens tester but I will say it’s feels great. Really smooth focus, precise aperture and so light - in a modern functional design.

Reading the rest of Fred’s review endorses my hopes for this lens. Loosing a stop for size/ weight but not quality. Something for everyone.

Aug 08, 2023 at 06:04 PM

acanton
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p.5 #2 · p.5 #2 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

madNbad wrote:
When I bought the M4-2 it was paired with a 28 2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH V1, used it without a finder and got good results but decided to add an accessory finder. Sold the Elmarit, bought a silver chrome 28 2.0 Ultron to use with my M4. When Cosina announced the return of the 28 Color Skopar, it looked like a good replacement for the Elmarit. Some users don’t like finder because it feel like it slows them down. If you watch old videos of Joel Meyerowitz in action, you see how he hyper focuses the lens and uses the finder...Show more →

I'll try out the lens without an external finder and see how that goes, and then maybe look into trying one out. I zone focus mostly when the action is fast and just move into position where I know focus will be acceptable, so I don't think a finder will slow me down that much. I think Winogrand also used a finder on his M4 some of the time.

Aug 08, 2023 at 06:43 PM

acanton
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p.5 #3 · p.5 #3 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

madNbad wrote:
Andre Wagner is a street photographer who regularly uses a Leica with a 28 and a viewfinder. It’s worth watching the videos of how he moves and photographs.

Thanks for the recommendation. I recognize that name. He was on an episode of Paulie B's Walkie Talkie. I'll rewatch that video and some other ones and pay more attention to how he uses it.

Aug 08, 2023 at 06:48 PM

madNbad
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p.5 #4 · p.5 #4 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

acanton wrote:
Thanks for the recommendation. I recognize that name. He was on an episode of Paulie B's Walkie Talkie. I'll rewatch that video and some other ones and pay more attention to how he uses it.

The problem now is good 28 finders are becoming difficult to find and stupidity expensive. For street work just using the rangefinder window will do.
It’s educational to watch how Andre Wagner moves and works the camera.
Just got the tracking for mine!

Aug 08, 2023 at 07:22 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.5 #5 · p.5 #5 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

tri_fin wrote:
Received my black type 2 today.

I’m no lens tester but I will say it’s feels great. Really smooth focus, precise aperture and so light - in a modern functional design.

Reading the rest of Fred’s review endorses my hopes for this lens. Loosing a stop for size/ weight but not quality. Something for everyone.

I received mine (Black Type II) yesterday as well. It does feel really good from size & handling perspective and I was happy to find that hard infinity is perfectly aligned with my Sony A7C + Rayqual adapter so it will be pleasant to use for long distance shots. It also seems that hard-infinity works best across the whole frame so I don't have to balance the focusing distance by focusing somewhere in midframe to get best corner-to-corner results. It's still necessary to stop down at least to f5.6 or probably f8 for best corner-to-corner results though (on the 24MP Sony body).

My 28/2 VM II and even my older CV 28mm lenses (28/1.9 LTM, 28/3.5 LTM x 2) can't be shot at hard infinity with the same camera + adapter for best results and I always have to carefully focus them accounting for field curvature. This makes the 28/2.8 the easiest/most pleasant to use on my Sony.

Still haven't had a chance to shoot in fine weather though.

Aug 08, 2023 at 08:36 PM

Valorin
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p.5 #6 · p.5 #6 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Sort of related to this lens, I've been warming up to the idea of a 28mm+50mm kit, after many years being a primarily 35mm shooter (usually paired with a 21, 50 and 85/90). Having switched to an M setup, I'm also interested in a very small and light setup with very good image quality. At the moment my try at that kit is a Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron II and either a Zeiss 50/2 or a Leica 50 Summilux ASPH. It would be interesting to downsize the 28 to this new one since it appears to be small as well as sharp, but what small 50 should I consider to pair with it? The modern ones I can think of might be 50 Summarit or Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton. I'd prefer a focus tab, but could live without one. I guess the others would be some of the vintage Leica 50's?

Aug 08, 2023 at 09:21 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.5 #7 · p.5 #7 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Juha Kannisto wrote:
I received mine (Black Type II) yesterday as well. It does feel really good from size & handling perspective and I was happy to find that hard infinity is perfectly aligned with my Sony A7C + Rayqual adapter so it will be pleasant to use for long distance shots. It also seems that hard-infinity works best across the whole frame so I don't have to balance the focusing distance by focusing somewhere in midframe to get best corner-to-corner results. It's still necessary to stop down at least to f5.6 or probably f8 for best corner-to-corner results though (on the...Show more →

Great news, Juha! You've managed to acquire the new CV 28/2.8 lens just in time for your trip. I believe you'll find it appealing due to its impressive compactness and lightness, just like to your MS Optics lenses.

Aug 08, 2023 at 09:31 PM

acjeske
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p.5 #8 · p.5 #8 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Yes, and I think I’m ready to part with it if you’re interested.
hanay78 wrote:
Is this Cv the LTM one ?

Edited on Aug 09, 2023 at 07:16 AM · View previous versions

Aug 08, 2023 at 09:52 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.5 #9 · p.5 #9 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
Great news, Juha! You've managed to acquire the new CV 28/2.8 lens just in time for your trip. I believe you'll find it appealing due to its impressive compactness and lightness, just like to your MS Optics lenses.

Thanks Fred! Yes, I think the lens is really nice from size and handling perspective and the ability to use it at hard infinity using my Rayqual adapter goes a long way to make it enjoyable to use. I hope the weather in Finland will be nice for photography during my stay there

Aug 08, 2023 at 10:03 PM

1bwana1
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p.5 #10 · p.5 #10 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Valorin wrote:
Sort of related to this lens, I've been warming up to the idea of a 28mm+50mm kit, after many years being a primarily 35mm shooter (usually paired with a 21, 50 and 85/90). Having switched to an M setup, I'm also interested in a very small and light setup with very good image quality. At the moment my try at that kit is a Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron II and either a Zeiss 50/2 or a Leica 50 Summilux ASPH. It would be interesting to downsize the 28 to this new one since it appears to be small as well as...Show more →

I pair my 28mm Ultron II with my Leica 50mm Summicron v5. The Summicron is a nice compact size, and it has a built in retractable hood. It is much smaller than the 50mm Summilux. Many find it sharper as well.

WHEN I go out shooting I take that pair of lenses or a single 35mm Summilux.

Aug 08, 2023 at 10:53 PM

raizans
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p.5 #11 · p.5 #11 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Fred Miranda wrote:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/03/2592603.jpg

Am I seeing things, or is the focusing tab black paint while the barrel is anodized?

Aug 08, 2023 at 11:23 PM

hmzimelka
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p.5 #12 · p.5 #12 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

raizans wrote:
Am I seeing things, or is the focusing tab black paint while the barrel is anodized?

So far, the tabs on the Voigtlander lenses I own are all painted. Not sure of the material underneath, perhaps a hard plastic? Or aluminium alloy that they don't anodise. I've seen the paint chip off the brass Ultron lenses and reveal a dull grey material underneath. Rather unpleasant considering the rest of the lens is brass, and the most popular choice is the black paint. I prefer the silver hard chrome plated brass lenses over black paint.

Honestly, I would prefer they make the whole tab out of a good composite plastic rather than a painted version.

Aug 09, 2023 at 01:11 AM

Fred Miranda
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p.5 #13 · p.5 #13 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Nice catch! The tab appears to have a painted finish rather than the anodized coating seen on the barrel. The tab on the 28/2.8 lens shares a striking resemblance, both in appearance and texture, to the 28/2 Ultron II black paint version.

Aug 09, 2023 at 10:42 AM

formula4speed
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p.5 #14 · p.5 #14 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

This definitely looks more than good enough optically for me, trying not to go crazy on the M system just yet so I'm going to try to hold out until these hit the used market at least.

Aug 09, 2023 at 01:35 PM

Justin.opr
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p.5 #15 · p.5 #15 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Really considering running with this new 28mm and my Rokkor 40mm for a very small walk around kit. They look like they are the same size.

Aug 09, 2023 at 01:47 PM

hanay78
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p.5 #16 · p.5 #16 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

So, to adapt to Sony, what is the less bad Leica-M mount lens? Which one of the slow ones?

Aug 09, 2023 at 01:59 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.5 #17 · p.5 #17 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

hanay78 wrote:
So, to adapt to Sony, what is the less bad Leica-M mount lens? Which one of the slow ones?

The better performance on the Sony camera is achieved with slower lenses in the 28mm category. Notable choices within this range include the Leica 28/5.6 Summaron, the discontinued Voigtlander 28/3.5, and the new Voigtlander 28/2.8.

It's crucial to take into account that when adapting these lenses to the Sony system, there might be a decrease in corner performance when focusing on the center, especially if the corners fall within the same focus plane. Stopping down the lens aperture, will increase depth of field. This, in turn, helps to mask the pronounced field curvature that arises from the thicker sensor stack.

When shooting wide open, the subject in focus will show great sharpness across the field. However, there will be a magnified and undesirable field curvature effect in the rendering. For example, when focusing on a subject at the center and mid-distance, it might cause distant corner areas to appear sharper due to the induced field curvature shape, rather than being out of focus.

Aug 09, 2023 at 02:34 PM

madNbad
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p.5 #18 · p.5 #18 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Here's a quick look at the lens on the M4-2 and compared to the 28 2.0 Ultron:

Aug 09, 2023 at 04:32 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.5 #19 · p.5 #19 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

Just received the Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit (v2) and will compared it to the Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar.

Aug 09, 2023 at 05:32 PM

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p.5 #20 · p.5 #20 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Review

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Infinity Performance compared to Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit (v2)

The Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit (v2) appears to be in direct competition with the recently introduced Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar lens. These two lenses share identical focal lengths and maximum apertures. Despite the fact that the Voigtlander lens is more compact and lighter, both of them are designed as small and portable options for the M system.

When it comes to image quality, both lenses exhibit sharpness even when wide open; however, there are notable distinctions between them. The Voigtlander Color-Skopar stands out with its exceptional sharpness at the center, whereas the Leica lens excels in mid-field sharpness. Their performance is comparable at the corners, and it gradually gets better as you decrease the aperture size. Furthermore, the Voigtlander exhibits more noticeable vignetting, particularly at wider apertures.

Overall, both lenses are excellent choices for street photography, but the Voigtlander clearly offers superior value in this comparison.

The Voigtlander is more compact than the Leica.

With their hoods attached, the Voigtlander is even even smaller.

Distance: Infinity
Focus: Center - Best of three @ 12.4x magnification
WB: Daylight for both lenses
Both Lenses perfectly centered using my decentering test
Software: Lightroom with FM Default Landscape Sharpening. All other settings set to default

PS: Vignetting, CA and distortion were NOT corrected for both lenses.

Center Resolution and Contrast
Infinity Performance compared to Leica 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit (v2)

Center at f/2.8

Center at f/4

Center at f/5.6

Center at f/8

Aug 09, 2023 at 06:50 PM

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